James Harden and Khloe Kardashian dated for eight months before calling it quits, and now the NBA player is explaining his side of the story. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Harden revealed he didn’t like the spotlight that came with dating Khloe.

“I feel like it was for no reason,” the Houston Rockets player said of the media frenzy that came with dating Khloe, although he didn’t say her name. “I wasn’t getting anything out of it except my name out there and my face out there, and I don’t need that. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t me.”

Harden couldn’t understand why fans wanted to know everything about him. “I don’t need pictures of myself when I’m driving my car. Who cares? What shoes am I wearing? Who cares? Where am I eating? Who cares? It was unnecessary stuff that I think trickled down to my teammates,” he continued. “I had to eliminate that.”